"Since Our Leaders Are Behaving Like Children, We Will Have to Take Responsibility" Children from C

“Since Our Leaders Are Behaving Like Children, We Will Have to Take Responsibility”

Children from Canada, Australia and Sweden are taking the lead on climate change

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“Some people say that I should be in school instead. Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can ‘solve the climate crisis’. But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions.”(Photo: @StrikeClimate)

Earlier today, the naturalist Sir David Attenborough addressed the UN climate conference in Poland, saying: “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change.” “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon,” he added. The world famous TV presenter continued: “The world’s people have spoken. Their message is clear. Time is running out. They want you, the decision-makers, to act now”.

And nowhere have those voices been louder in the last few days than from the young from Canada to Australia and Sweden. Last Friday, thousands of children missed school as part of the ‘Strike 4 Climate Action,' which organised marches in every city in Australia. The idea started with two fourteen year olds, Milou Albrect and Harriet O’Shea Carre, from the state of Victoria. Harriet said: “The climate change emergency is something we have been thinking about for a long time.”Another 14 year old, Jean Hinchcliffe, organised the march one in Sydney: She said “Everyone, all young people, we can see that climate change is a real issue and we’re completely sick of politicians’ inaction.”

As I blogged about last week, the kids in Australia were incensed when, warned about the strike their Prime Minister, Scott Morrison told Parliament that he wants “more learning in schools” and “less activism.” Adding fuel to the fire, the country’s Resources Minister, Matt Canavan, then added “The best thing you learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole [welfare] queue. Because that’s what your future life will look like,”

Many signs on Friday’s march criticised the inaction of the elder generation and politicians. “I’ve seen smarter cabinets at Ikea,” said one. “If you were smart we would be in school” or “why should we be in school if you won’t listen to the educated” and “Only dinosaurs deny climate change”. Another person taking part was “Ruby the climate kid” who recorded a message on Facebook saying the protest was a “message to Parliament to say we are not happy with their decisions on taking action on climate change. In fact they are doing the reverse.”